Manufacturers have sought a method to orientate and manipulate stockings on knitting machines without operator intervention as they automate their operations. The following patents illustrate several approaches:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,513 (Tew) discloses a method of closing a toe in a stocking, wherein the machine engaged in continuous circular knitting is converted to reciprocating knitting. It is during the reciprocating knitting that certain of the needles are disengaged while the remaining needles continue the knitting operation. Continuous circular knitting is thereafter resumed as all needles are engaged for the knitting operation and the toe portion is completed. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,559 (Fecker) discloses a method for closing the toe of stockings on known circular knitting machines. A toe-closing thread is knit into the toe end of a tubular mesh. The closing thread passes at least once around the entire periphery of the mesh. The mesh is then cast off the needles of a circular knitting machine and the closing thread is pulled or partially drawn out of the mesh, causing the mesh to be constricted thereby closing the toe. The closing thread is then knotted to prevent withdrawal of the thread. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,186 (Ferraguti) discloses a method for forming a closed end of a tubular knit sock on a circular knitting machine. After the last row of the tubular fabric is formed by needles slidably assembled in the grooves of the machine cylinder, two annular tubular layers are formed as continuations of the tubular knit fabric at separate stages by needles operating in the same cylinder of the machine. The loops at the free edge of the inner layer are then held on support arranged in a circle and the free edge of the inner layer is then held on support members arranged in a circle. The free edge of the outer layer is held by the needles until a relative rotation of at least 180 degrees between the circle of support members and the cylinder has been effected. The loops held onto the support members are transferred to the needles of the cylinder, and a final few rows are knit before the fabric is removed from the needles. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,507 (Allaire et al.) discloses a method for closing the toe of a double-layered sock. A first course knit by needles corresponding to the end of the tip of a first layer is transferred onto a central transfer plate of a machine where the sock is held. Knitting of the first layer continues from the tip to the mock-up edges. Then knitting is continued on the mock-up edges of the second layer to the tip, the knit tubular structure being suspended by one circular end, from the central transfer plate and, by the other circular end from the needle cylinder in the course of work, shaping the two concentric layers within each other. The initial course in standby on the plate is transferred to the needles of the cylinder to join the two layers together, and the toe is joined together by knitting.
While these methods have met with only limited success, none the opening as well as do linking machines.
One reason for this lack of success is the nature of a cylindrical knit garment. Each knit stitch depends upon the previous stitch knit on the same needle for stability and to prevent unraveling.
One proposed solution is to knit the opening of the stocking first. The last stitches at the top of the stocking unravel, even though attempts have been made to prevent this unraveling.
Another proposed solution is to include drawstrings into the stocking to close the opening end. This method works fairly well on ladies hosiery, but is too bulky for applications involving coarser knit fabrics.
Yet another proposed solution involves adapting small linking machines to become knitting machines. The stocking is removed from the needles by a split dial and linked onto the knitting machine. While this provides a satisfactory opening closure without operator intervention, many types of existing equipment are not readily adaptable to this conversion. Also, substantial costs are involved in converting the equipment resulting in additional maintenance. Accordingly, what is needed is a method that will manipulate and orient the stocking, turning and feeding existing opening closing equipment without operator assistance, rather than closing the opening of the stocking on the existing knitting machines.
A device and a method are needed that will enable precision orientation of a knit garment which is useful for either manual or automatic operation for further processing and completion of the garment.